The Oilers haven’t backed off from acquiring Dany Heatley, but it sounds like they will have to sweeten the pot if they are going to get him out of Ottawa. The price has just went up according to Sens GM Bryan Murray.

Whether that means the Oilers have to add in some prospects, or take another salary off the books of the Senators is unclear. The unique thing about this deal is that even though the Sens have paid Heatley $4 million, if they trade him before the season starts that money won’t count against their cap.

The team that gets Heatley will only have to pay him $4 million in salary this year, but he is a $7.5 million cap hit on their books.

"Edmonton is the only option that has been presented to us, and you can't tell that there aren't more," J.P. Barry told Sportsnet.ca.

Well I’m not sure how many other options they truly have. The Rangers aren’t interested now that they have Gaborik, and supposedly Glen Sather had targeted Gaborik over Heatley anyways.

The Canucks can’t take him now that the Sedins’ have re-signed for a combined cap hit of $12.2 million per year, and the Wild landed Havlat.

So who are the other options?

I’m betting you think it’s the Kings. They have lots of cap space, are stacked with young players Ottawa would like and are a sexy location for Heatley.

I’ve been told that Heatley has seen this, and it is clear that the Kings are an unlikely destination.

So who else is there?

The San Jose Sharks possibly. But they have 15 players signed for $51 million already. Patrick Marleau has one year left on his deal, the Sens aren’t in love with Cheechoo, and so will the Sharks give up Clowe, Setoguchi and a D-man for Heatley? That would be pretty steep.

The Coyotes and Predators won’t be in the mix, so that doesn’t leave him many options.

Heatley needs to decide today, and so do the Oilers. I think it is time the Oilers ask for a decision from his camp. Is he in, or out?

And then the Oilers need to live with the decision, move on and look at other options to try and improve their team.

They offered a great deal to Ottawa, and the Sens wanted it — for a moment even Heatley seemed like he was willing to come, but he got cold feet and now he is dragging them on the beach in Kelowna.

Enough is enough. Make a decision a move on.

The decision needs to come today, and I think the Oilers need to make it, because it is evident that Heatley can’t make it himself.

One of Canada's most versatile sports personalities. Jason hosts The Jason Gregor Show, weekdays from 2 to 6 p.m., on TSN 1260, and he writes a column every Monday in the Edmonton Journal. You can follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/JasonGregor

You don't care about flaws in Hemsky's game because he puts up points. I don't care that Heatley has flaws in his game, AND is a total selfish douche, because he puts up even MORE points than Hemsky. The two of them were made for each other. They could so totally light it up... and let poor Horcoff do all the tiresome back-checking by himself....

Yeah. I'd still take Heatley if he waived in August... Even if some other moves had been made. (Unless of course Hemsky was gone...*Jokes*)

DonDon wrote:
Have they explained their rationale for passing up on UFAs?
No cap room, Thanks to Lowe. The Heatley trade was somewhat salary neutral: 6mil out…7.5 mil back. The Oilers simply didn’t have room to sign Havlat or Hossa, or any other big name… Besides, how do we know for sure that they didn’t try?

You should compare Chi cap space to Edmonton (amoungst other teams). The Lowe excuse is old.

Oilers icon wrote:
I just hope tambo doesn’t throw stupid money at any of the rest of the free agents just like lowe would do
Ya, damn Lowe through stupid money at GM’s!! ….wait…. we can’t even get guys that have demanded a traded…. maybe….maybe he had to throw stupid money to even be considerd an option????

@ Chris:
Like i said, IF it happens THEN all i can do is hope that Heatley doesnt continue his trend of demanding trades every time he changes the Brita water filter. On the ice he would be a pleasure to watch; except I would be hyper aware of any rumblings regarding his attitude, and that would likely lead to paranoid outbursts of verbal rage pointed in his directions.

Harlie wrote:

Heatley looks like he could suck a golf ball through a garden hose using his missing tooth.

Lee Fogolin wrote:
Ok forget Heatley already, it’s not even a UFA situation. Pretty much all the good UFA’s are gone! This is about a hockey trade with a NMC and signing bonus…pretty messy stuff and not worth the time or energy.
How about trading our 2 biggest assets to get some young talent and build up from there. Trade Souray and Visnosky for STRAIGHT and FAIR hockey deals…here goes.
Trade #1:
Edm - Souray (D), M-A Pouliott (C/RW)
SJ - Michalek (LW), Murray (D) and 2nd round pick
Trade #2:
Edm - Visnosky (D), O’Sullivan (C/RW)
Bos - Krecji (C), Stuart (D) and 2nd & 3rd round pick
Should still have a solid core of young d-men with Grebs, Gilbert and Smid, vets in Staois and Strudwick.
Add potential first line scoring in Michalek, Krecji…solidfy the top six d-men with Murray, Stuart…future assets in 2nd & 3rd round picks.
btw Tambo can still add UFA d-man in Morris, Beauchemin etc and stay below the salary cap.
Make it a REAL hockey deal…any thoughts?
You mention the NMC earlier…I believe both Shelly and Vish have No Trade Clauses (although I believe Shelly’s was only for the first couple years so not sure if that’s expired yet or not). Assuming both teams agree to deals like that, both players would have to agree as well. Similar to the situation we’re in right now. Would that be worth the time or energy either?

Come on, lets be serious here...SJ and Bos both won their respective conferences and were legitimate Stanley Cup contenders last year...adding Visnosky and Souray to their respective squads only strengthens their current team...i'm sure they would waive their NMC to have a LEGITIMATE run at the cup...Edm missed the playoffs again!!!

The Oilers on the other hand could re-tool talent and use the draft picks to build for the near future...we are many years away from being a contender...we aren't even a lock to making the playoffs next year.

Lets build the success of the organization from the draft up and who is here...our key core players are all fairly young Hemsky, Gagner, Cogliano, Nilsson, Grebs, Gilbert add Eberle, Omark, Magnus P-S in coming years...identify key talent, develop them properly and surround them with good coaching.

Wake up Oiler brass...lets stop chasing after selfish UFAs and start creating a formula for success...at least you got the coaches right.

perhaps you failed to realize that Edmonton is NOT in Stalin Era Ukraine.

I don't know why but for some reason I was highly amused at your choice of evil totalitarian regime. I have lately been partial to drawing Kim Jong-Il comparisons myself, mostly due to his compete level and the fact that he play with heart at both ends of the ice, ineffective though he may be.

It's really hard to compare guys from different generations. I mean Stalin never got to use the two line pass, and without clutching and grabbing you'd have to think that his totals would have been increased by at least 10%.

Helmerfied wrote:
Lee Fogolin wrote:
Ok forget Heatley already, it’s not even a UFA situation. Pretty much all the good UFA’s are gone! This is about a hockey trade with a NMC and signing bonus…pretty messy stuff and not worth the time or energy.
How about trading our 2 biggest assets to get some young talent and build up from there. Trade Souray and Visnosky for STRAIGHT and FAIR hockey deals…here goes.
Trade #1:
Edm - Souray (D), M-A Pouliott (C/RW)
SJ - Michalek (LW), Murray (D) and 2nd round pick
Trade #2:
Edm - Visnosky (D), O’Sullivan (C/RW)
Bos - Krecji (C), Stuart (D) and 2nd & 3rd round pick
Should still have a solid core of young d-men with Grebs, Gilbert and Smid, vets in Staois and Strudwick.
Add potential first line scoring in Michalek, Krecji…solidfy the top six d-men with Murray, Stuart…future assets in 2nd & 3rd round picks.
btw Tambo can still add UFA d-man in Morris, Beauchemin etc and stay below the salary cap.
Make it a REAL hockey deal…any thoughts?
You mention the NMC earlier…I believe both Shelly and Vish have No Trade Clauses (although I believe Shelly’s was only for the first couple years so not sure if that’s expired yet or not). Assuming both teams agree to deals like that, both players would have to agree as well. Similar to the situation we’re in right now. Would that be worth the time or energy either?
Come on, lets be serious here…SJ and Bos both won their respective conferences and were legitimate Stanley Cup contenders last year…adding Visnosky and Souray to their respective squads only strengthens their current team…i’m sure they would waive their NMC to have a LEGITIMATE run at the cup…Edm missed the playoffs again!!!
The Oilers on the other hand could re-tool talent and use the draft picks to build for the near future…we are many years away from being a contender…we aren’t even a lock to making the playoffs next year.
Lets build the success of the organization from the draft up and who is here…our key core players are all fairly young Hemsky, Gagner, Cogliano, Nilsson, Grebs, Gilbert add Eberle, Omark, Magnus P-S in coming years…identify key talent, develop them properly and surround them with good coaching.
Wake up Oiler brass…lets stop chasing after selfish UFAs and start creating a formula for success…at least you got the coaches right.

I don't like those trades either, but I feel like pointing out that a move to San Jose would be a whole lot closer to LA for Souray.

And Chicago is heading for cap trouble. How do they expect to sign all their talented RFA's next season after the cap shrinks.

Look... Tambellini had a strong strategy that simply failed. Maybe he should have been actively dumping salary a week ago to free up money for UFA's...

On the other hand, do that, and you don't necessarily have enough assets to make trades. Did anyone really believe that Havlat, or any of the Marian's were going to sign with Edmonton? How are these guys who quietly decline Edmonton by phone any differnt than Heatley? UFA's and players with NMC's have earned the right to play where they want... Players, when given the choice, either want to play in a really nice city, or on a winning club. Do you blame them?

@ Ogden Brother:
And Chicago is heading for cap trouble. How do they expect to sign all their talented RFA’s next season after the cap shrinks.
Look… Tambellini had a strong strategy that simply failed. Maybe he should have been actively dumping salary a week ago to free up money for UFA’s…
On the other hand, do that, and you don’t necessarily have enough assets to make trades. Did anyone really believe that Havlat, or any of the Marian’s were going to sign with Edmonton? How are these guys who quietly decline Edmonton by phone any differnt than Heatley? UFA’s and players with NMC’s have earned the right to play where they want… Players, when given the choice, either want to play in a really nice city, or on a winning club. Do you blame them?

How much do you want to bet that chi doesn't lose any of Kane/Toews/Kieth.... or if they do the compensation through trade (or RFA signing) is so high that it's not really that big of a lose.

@ Ogden Brother:
And Chicago is heading for cap trouble. How do they expect to sign all their talented RFA’s next season after the cap shrinks.
Look… Tambellini had a strong strategy that simply failed. Maybe he should have been actively dumping salary a week ago to free up money for UFA’s…
On the other hand, do that, and you don’t necessarily have enough assets to make trades. Did anyone really believe that Havlat, or any of the Marian’s were going to sign with Edmonton? How are these guys who quietly decline Edmonton by phone any differnt than Heatley? UFA’s and players with NMC’s have earned the right to play where they want… Players, when given the choice, either want to play in a really nice city, or on a winning club. Do you blame them?

Here's what I don't get, everyone is (or should be) aware that the chance of us landing a big ticket FA is slim to nill (regardless of cap space) yet everyone is pissing and moaning about not having the cap space.

Chris wrote:
@ Ogden Brother:
And Chicago is heading for cap trouble. How do they expect to sign all their talented RFA’s next season after the cap shrinks.
Look… Tambellini had a strong strategy that simply failed. Maybe he should have been actively dumping salary a week ago to free up money for UFA’s…
On the other hand, do that, and you don’t necessarily have enough assets to make trades. Did anyone really believe that Havlat, or any of the Marian’s were going to sign with Edmonton? How are these guys who quietly decline Edmonton by phone any differnt than Heatley? UFA’s and players with NMC’s have earned the right to play where they want… Players, when given the choice, either want to play in a really nice city, or on a winning club. Do you blame them?
How much do you want to bet that chi doesn’t lose any of Kane/Toews/Kieth…. or if they do the compensation through trade (or RFA signing) is so high that it’s not really that big of a lose.

@ Ogden Brother:
And Chicago is heading for cap trouble. How do they expect to sign all their talented RFA’s next season after the cap shrinks.
Look… Tambellini had a strong strategy that simply failed. Maybe he should have been actively dumping salary a week ago to free up money for UFA’s…
On the other hand, do that, and you don’t necessarily have enough assets to make trades. Did anyone really believe that Havlat, or any of the Marian’s were going to sign with Edmonton? How are these guys who quietly decline Edmonton by phone any differnt than Heatley? UFA’s and players with NMC’s have earned the right to play where they want… Players, when given the choice, either want to play in a really nice city, or on a winning club. Do you blame them?

And I think the main beef with Heatly vs the FA's is that he had originally agreed to come here and we had went to the point of notifying the players traded, before he changed his mind. That's far different then a "no thanks" from Hossa/Gaborik/Havelat

Heatley no matter what he impacts this team if he comes here. If he doesn't want to come then move on. Sign Kovalev and Trade Penner. Maybe bring in Koivu. There's other options. Sign a free-agent and trade'm. It's only business anyway. If you can't beat'em join'em.

Like i said, IF it happens THEN all i can do is hope that Heatley doesnt continue his trend of demanding trades every time he changes the Brita water filter.

IMO worth the risk. From a PR perspective it would have been nice if Heatley waived the NMC right away....
But let's be honest, if the Oilers eventually do get Heater, it will only be because NOBODY else makes Murray a serious offer... Will Heatley risk the public humiliation of going through this process twice?

And I think the main beef with Heatly vs the FA’s is that he had originally agreed to come here

Heatley NEVER ment to come here. He figured, as did many, that there would be many quality offers for his services. It was easier to publicly lie than to face the wrath of an entire city with a chip on its shoulder... I bet he never thought he would have to say no.

Completely off topic, but... Was anyone else here feeling cheated by Julie (Of julie loves hockey fame over at ek's site) talking about switching teams? I mean I was going in a way different direction with that script when I read the title I'll tell you hhhhwhat.

*Laughs akwardly, then retreats to a dark corner to explore the area his bathing suit covers*

Maybe it's a good thing in some ways if it doesn't happen... and i'm really digging here but maybe it lights a fire under Penner, I hope he gets mad and comes to camp like a raging bull. Quinn won't put up with his lazy act. Cogs great season to build on but you have to step it up another level or two and prove last year wasn't a flash-in-the-pan season and disappear. Smid developing nicely and if he has more potential he's a keeper, could be a positive upside. I trust him alot more with the puck than hot&cold Gilbert.

Put yourselves in Tambo's position, and if you had a chance to "acquire" a player like Heatley no matter what his attitude, you know he's clutch and you have to give up something. It sucks because Penner hasn't lit the lamp the way he should at 5 mil/yer. and hasn't really improved. Maybe the lack of playoff appearances for 2 seasons has made him rusty. Because he's a playoff performer. We need a solid first line centre that can put the numbers up. Horcoff's a 2nd line centre I'm sorry but he has paid his dues, and is a great 2 way player but you need points on the first line am i right? I'd be ok with him up there if he had 60 assists and 10-15 goals a season.

I've seen a few posts bashing Hemksy and yes he doesn't always make the effort to backcheck... but you cannot argue his ability when he dazzles and puts the puck in the net it's absolutely magical to watch. Couple more pieces to the puzzle are needed. The top two lines need to be contributing consistently and a crash and bang 3rd line or you can forget about the post season next year.

Ogden Brother wrote:
And I think the main beef with Heatly vs the FA’s is that he had originally agreed to come here
Heatley NEVER ment to come here. He figured, as did many, that there would be many quality offers for his services. It was easier to publicly lie than to face the wrath of an entire city with a chip on its shoulder… I bet he never thought he would have to say no.

He's even dumber then I think then, he provides exactly what we need and were likely the most desperate team, with a desperate owner. He needs to learn to put 2 and 2 together.

@ kingsblade:
It’s really hard to compare guys from different generations. I mean Stalin never got to use the two line pass, and without clutching and grabbing you’d have to think that his totals would have been increased by at least 10%.

I think it comes down to wanting to see the little guy succeed at something. Stalin clearly had more game and played for a better team, but it just warms the heart to see Dear Leader put his all into threatening his enemies.

ShotBlock’n'MacT! wrote:
Horcoff’s a 2nd line centre I’m sorry but he has paid his dues, and is a great 2 way player but you need points on the first line am i right?
Ill go so far as saying he is a first line C on a bad team. Maybe 25-40 in C talent.
With Heatley that # goes up. You need a LW on the first line am I right?

Definitely i agree you need both wings putting pucks in the net. Horc has a lot of heart but he needs to contribute a little more and that would probably happen with a competant LW. Not to open up old wounds but when Smyth left town the dust bowls started rollin up & down the LW. Penner needs to get the bricks out of his pants and start using his size to his advantage. Get MAD and start plowin and earn that 5/mil like yer back on the farm in Winkler sluggin it out for a good yield a.k.a. "playoff berth"!!!!

Go after Kovalev Tambo. Throw some $ at "les artiste" and lure him away from Montreal and put him on the 1st unit. Maybe too much dazzle but it would be like droppin a mirror ball down on the power play each time. Ya got Hemmer dazzling on one side, Kovy dancin on the other. Then all you have to do is slap on Herb Tarlick's (for those who don't know Herb, he's from the ever so popular TV show classic WKRP in Cincinnati) white suit and white dress shoes on Horc in the slot and you got a studio 54 dancefloor for 3 periods in front of the opposition's net when they hit the ice.

I don't know but maybe Penner had a romance south of the border and now she's dating Jacques "Le Coq" Grande of the L.A. Kings cos Dustin can't score no more, sounds like a script for a sequel to me, better get Guru Pitka on the phone Tambo it's time stop shootin blanks and start shootin "The Luv Guru 2".

Trade Gilbert & Penner to L.A. for future considerations and a pick. Sign Kovy. or Gilbert, Penner, Horcoff the 50 pucks stuck in Penner's pants to L.A. for future considerations and a pick. then sign Koivu and Kovy... just tossin it out there.

It's plain and simple, if heatley doesn't want to play here, what is the point of having him here. He will be a cancer in the dressing room. Lets just keep drafting well in the next few years and we will be the team laughing because we will have a great team. It's all good man.

we just need the oil to put penner on the big mac incentive program. No fast food unless he scores. However for every goal he scores there will be a big mac waiting in his locker stall after the game. Do that and he'll score a hundred goals. first line LW problem solved.

I tell ya there's nothing like it, the Oilfans blood is boiling, what passion! Makes ya proud to be an Oilers fan don't it? Drop that puck already lets get the season going now. Salivating fans await. Heatley is a boring topic already. Go after someone else.

Speaking of dropping the puck... Don Cherry said it right on Coach's corner during the playoffs about the linesman throwing guys out of the faceoff circle it was ridiculous!

Don said "drop the f'n(silently of course) puck already" on coach's corner. Exactly i agree Don that's just garbage. Is that Bettman's way of keeping viewers tuned in longer or ticked off. That's obstruction then the tiny tapping tugs they call hooking, gimme a break already is this ringette? Watch the 80's classic games. Players back then would have popped ref's if they called that crap. It's crap Bettman, let it go more in the playoffs of course with reason, but don't put true hockey fans through a slow game with penalty after penalty. RIDICULOUS!

I don't know what higher power the the oilers seemed to upset,but this sucks.We can't get anybody to come here.it seems like we can't do anything right and friggin darryl sutter can't do any wrong.the flames get anybody and everybody they want.THIS SUCKS!!!

@ hatecrime:
It's all good we now have "The Bulin Wall"! Everyone sing... All we fans are is justa brick in "the Bulin Wall"! If ya don't eat yer meat ya can't have any pudding! Khabibulin ex-jet now back up to the great white north, beauty eh?

I think it's time for Oilernation to do some Tampering. I think that we should organize a "Be our hero" campaign.

Next year every time an NHL team shows up to Edmonton Oiler fans should hand out pamphlets detailing the benefits of signing with Edmonton.

I'm not talking about just the the facilities and ameneties around town but quotes about Edmonton from former Oilers who loved it here. Plus the biggest part should be a description of how if a player were to sign with the Oil and put an end to thr Carson-Pronger-Nylander-Heatley curse he would be treated as a god and the offs are we would build a statue of him next to Wayner.

With Heatley that # goes up. You need a LW on the first line am I right?

Wow - I thought I would come on here & call you names like 'idiot' or something, but I actually agree with you. If Tambellini can find a talented left winger & I think it would be a guarantee that #10 is a 70 - 80 point guy playing with Hemsky.

That said, just about every good player - even plugs like Laraque have No Movement Clauses. I think we are dreaming in technicolour to be having aspirations of someone waiving or agreeing to become an Oiler.

Unfortuantely we probably won't draft a LW to play with Hemsky & Horcoff. But we could probably sign an RFA, but nobody good to sign that plays LW. David Booth would have been a nice fit, but Florida signed him. The Thomas Vanek move would have been genius, but that didn't work.

I don't know what to do now...Ryane Clowe or aim high for a Kovalchuk, Marleau or Gagne?

@ Chester Copperpot:
"and the offs are we would build a statue of him next to Wayner."

Wo...wo hold on there buckaroo! I think there's a few other players that should have a statue first I think. Yari Kurri being one of them, Mess naturally, Tik-Tok would be nice I'd get snapshot next to his statue, Semenko should have a Statue... maybe if they build a new arena you should have a winning picture moment re-created of the whole team in statue form outside the new arena in the front. Now there's an idea. Maybe one of Dave Brown giving it to Joel Otto up in the nose bleed sections lol. Goooooood morning Canadaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

@ BUCK75:
Agreed, Kessel would be a choice. RFA or trade for his rights. I believe with Visnovsky healthy last year we would have made the playoffs (he is a better D man than Souray). So add in a LW and we there for sure. My point towards not blowing the seasons for draft picks is we are 2-3 pieces away from a great team. A scoring LW (and we are so close on Heatley, Kessel could work or save cap space and offer it all to Kovalchuk next year, and if that fails - Jagr), a Third line C who can win FOs, and a strong shutdown D. Being just a few pieces away we should not trade good players to rebuild. We blew our time to rebuild when we considered Tjarnquist a top pairing D man. That woulda been the time.

Trade Gilbert & Penner to L.A. for future considerations and a pick. Sign Kovy. or Gilbert, Penner, Horcoff the 50 pucks stuck in Penner’s pants to L.A. for future considerations and a pick. then sign Koivu and Kovy… just tossin it out there.

@ myteammytown:
Yes, from making the playoffs. From probably being a 4-6 team. We are Oiler fans, if we are expecting a team of superstars that wins the Presidents Trophy that would be unrealistic. I accept 4-6, in the playoffs anything can happen and often does. You cant be called a "contender" unless you make it there and 06 showed us that even in 8th we have a chance.

Work on building the team into a consistent 4-6 team and watch FA's start signing here again easier. Then you may worry about being #1

Darren Dreger Tweets - Oilers in the Heatly trade till the bitter end....... Looks like it aint over and there is more to the story.... Maybe it has to do with what vet's are still in control of the room... Staio's, Moreau or Pisani word travels fast around the league when players run a room like a dictatorship....

Darren Dreger Tweets - Oilers in the Heatly trade till the bitter end……. Looks like it aint over and there is more to the story…. Maybe it has to do with what vet’s are still in control of the room… Staio’s, Moreau or Pisani word travels fast around the league when players run a room like a dictatorship….